RISE UP DEAD MAN

RESILIENCE

Allowing hunters to track otherworldly energy, Dark Sight allowed bounty hunters to search for fissures to narrow down their targets, while the damned searched for rifts and the wellspring to rid their bodies of the negative energy that has accumulated over a hunter's repeated interactions with the bayou.

I remember seeing the message boards: "Cancer-like tumours forming underneath their skin as they turned unnaturally pale, the smell of decay saturating them to their core." "An absence of human emotion and mannerisms, their mind slowly being taken away."

And my soul... whether it exists or not, I can feel the darkness eating away at something.

This must not happen.

My gaze was drawn to the sky, where a continuously arcing beam of energy resembling thunder revealed the location of the source of their position.

Based on the distance of the lightning and my previous map, the wellspring could only be in one location.

I let out a sigh, steeling myself as I walked toward the compound.

~<⁕>~

Eventually, I come across the compound's small side entrance. The main entrance was to the left of the hole, with two massive wood rolling gates that surely made a lot of noise when opened, and a curved sign at the top that read SALTERS PORK.

When I neared the hole, that was when the sounds of another gunfight broke out. Judging by the gunshots, at least three different guns were being fired in quick succession, so that meant three people were all shooting at each other in a tight barn.

And all I had was a shotgun and a pistol.

Perfect.

Looking up, I see the various flashes of light that emitted through the cracks of the metal roof as the gunfight went on.

Now that I think about it, the proper course of action here would be to wait for them to take each other out before moving in, but there is still the problem of other damned hunters arriving and joining the fray soon.

From the stories I've heard, the wellspring was always a battleground. With only enough energy to save a single soul and due to its volatility, its integrity gradually deteriorates with each second it is open, jeopardising one's chances of survival.

"AHH! Ugh..." A hunter wails as their body crumples down the stairs, dying in the process.

I make an effort to avoid the many broken glass bottles that sit just in front of the wall. They were just waiting for someone to make a mistake and reveal their location.

Stepping up to the barn, I slowly creaked the door open, and like a snake, the barrel of my gun searched for its prey with a deadly bite.

...

There is no one hiding on the first floor, which is a good thing.

Moving towards the stairs, I spot the still-warm corpse of the hunter that cried out before.

And judging by his bright and clean outfit, he was only a fresh and inexperienced hunter, a "white shirt," as many would say.

I started walking up the stairs, not bothering to sneak because the gunfight would mask my footsteps. I'm eventually at the top—

"AHH-!" Oh, Shit!

I immediately aim in the direction of the scream, firing in panic as a corpse crashes into me.

"Gah! Fuck—Fuck you! This energy's mine!" By a stroke of luck, a few pellets managed to hit... someone, but it wasn't enough to kill them.

Shoving the body off of me, I pull out my pistol and blind fire over the edge of the stairs.

"Eaghh! My eyes—Oh my god, my eyes! AHH-!" The man's screaming is silenced by another shot from my gun, taking a generous chunk of grey matter with it. Curiously, the sound of a window breaking follows soon after several messy footsteps.

As I slowly rise, I notice a lever-action gun on the ground with its scope shattered; it seems I got a lucky shot on it—why was he using a rifle with a scope indoors? Granted, he killed at least one person with it, and in such close quarters, there really isn't a reason to aim.

Shit... I just realised how much blood is smeared and splattered everywhere. It must have been difficult...

The wellspring's energy didn't shift over to me! The carrier's still alive—

And before I knew it, I was on the floor, writhing and screaming in pain as my leg from the knee down was shot off, blood spurting everywhere, painting the floorboards with a fresh coat.

"Hehe... always works." My body stiffens up as I hear a muffled voice coming from behind me, likely due to my newly acquired deafness.

Above me was a dark-hooded figure, and in his arms was a Nitro Express rifle.

"The truth is, partner." The figure mocked as he loaded in two new rounds. Despite my screaming, I'm somehow thinking straight.

"You should've checked your corners."

The last thing I saw was the muzzle flash of an enormous bullet that could take down an elephant, obliterating my skull, followed by darkness.